Hi Gang,

I am dropping you a note just to serve as a warning. Particularily to those who are in their second year post op!  I am just 14 months past surgery.

While I have not WILLFULLY been "bad" post surgery, I still make inadvertent mistakes.  I am very carb sensitive. I have PCOS and can pack on the pounds like no ones business if I have too many carbs or the wrong type of carbs.

My husband has diabetes so he needs carbs, the low glycemic index kind.  I love carbs...any carbs!

And so there were some slips.

A 1/4 cup steel cut oats with cinnamon protein powder and real maple syrup (low g.i)..isnt that bad once  a day for breakfast right ?

Sweetening my tea with 2 tsps of honey (4 times a day)-isnt too bad because honey is low G.I. right?

Butter chicken really does taste better with rice. I NEED rice to soak up that sauce. Brown rice is lower GI.  1/8th of a cup cant hurt.

Bariatric chili is sooo good. I especially love how all the ff refried beans make it so nice and thick so it stays in my pouch.  Having this every day for lunch isnt that bad right.

 

Well, one looks at that above menu for the week, I had a carby breakfast, a carby lunch, and carby beverages.  This is the carb creep that happened to me. I thought i was being good!  They are all low glycemic index carbs for crying out loud.

Yet, I gained 4 lbs!  4!!!

So i went back to the food diaries to figure out WHAT was going on and it was so apparent.

And so I fixed it.

But it has taken me 16 days to lose that 4 lbs.

So despite having the surgery, despite probably being in honeymoon phase, despite eating the right volume of food, despite it not even being junk food, we can still gain!  It can also take us "forever" to lose.

So in summary, keep your eyes on the prize no matter where you are in your weightloss journey.  Weight loss may not come "easy" after the honeymoon is over.

Weight gain and carb creep CAN happen with terrible results.

 

SkinnyScientist

-The proud owner of a spirializer becaseu I will be damned if pasta every crosses these lips.

 

Very nice post!  I'm only 8 months out and I see the creep now and then.  Bad habits take a lifetime to form and a lifetime to break.  We must stay diligent!  Thanks for the reminder.

Great post !!

All so true! Thanks for the warning!

It's so, so, easy. 100 extra calories a day is 10 pounds in a year. That's 1 tablespoon of peanut butter a day. Hardly noticeable.

We are great rationalizers. This is good because it's low GI. This has healthy fiber in it. This is organic. This has natural sugar, so that's OK. We do lots of those sorts of justifications.

It's always going to be a struggle. Breaking bad habits built over decades doesn't happen in 14 months, or even 40. Thanks for the reminder.

What is scary...is that by "some crooked reading"  we can even find affirmations from the nutrition and diet industry. Hubby needs carbs. I learned this the hard way when he ate my riceless stuffed peppers for dinner and had turkey bacon and a poached egg for breakfast.  I was focused on getting rid of the carbs and I just took it on faith that he had a "good dinner" (i was at work when he ate dinner). What ended up happening is him passing out, breathing very laboriously (panting like he was running a marathon, and having teeth clenced so tightly I couldnt have got a spoon of sugar in there if I wanted too). I had to call 911.

 

Anyhow...back to the main point (my scary weekend has upset me badly...I was almost a widow at 8 weeks!)..when one looks at all these diabetic cookbooks..they are filled with low glycemic index carbs and a "proper meal" having low GI carbs is emphasized.  

 

That aint going to work for me. So I have a feeling a lot of "variations" or carbs sides for him are going to have to be offered.

 

But you are right..just 100 extrra calories. My NUT told me just 20 extra cals a day will cause a stall.  20 is just two tic-taks

Oh..for clarification...the "crooked reading" part stems from my reading and rationalizing that I (with my carb/insulin/testerone issues) NEED carbs too.  I really dont. There is enough hidden carbs in things I dont need to deliberately seek them out.  For example, a glass of milk has 13 g of carbs.

I can see where some people could get close to no protein or fat in their diet. But getting no carbs ir really, really hard work. There are handfuls of carbs in almost everything except plain meat.

We have the same situation as my husband is also diabetic. Carbs were a big issue for me pre surgery so I have to be extra diligent every day. I don't eat rice of any kind. I do eat steel cut oats every morning but they keep me regular and don't cause me to crave other carbs. But if my weight begins to creep up they too will be gone. So far so good. I am 30 months out. It will be a daily war for the rest of my life I am sure. After all I had 52 years to learn the bad habits!

Hey SKinny:

 

You always have great insight.  And it's admirable how quickly you nipped this in the bud and changed your trajectory.  I love that you took the time to share with the rest of us too so we can be vigilant.  

Thanks and great job!